Enhanced fleet readiness backed by long-term commitment support

In 1996, Quester Tangent provided Health Monitor Units (HMU) for 70 Bombardier Innovia ART 200 Rapid Transit Vehicles operating on the Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur. The HMU consisted of a self-contained unit in a 5.25-inch rack-mount enclosure. Located in the equipment locker of each car, the new units logged diagnostic data through direct connection to vehicle wiring and a LonWorks connection to vehicle subsystems. Data was sent to wayside via the car Communication Control Unit, while vehicle data was displayed on an integrated 40 character x 8 line LCD display.

Sixteen years later, Bombardier Transportation contracted Quester Tangent to upgrade the Monitoring and Diagnostic System (MDS) with new functionality and provide colour Touchscreen Displays (TD) that were backward compatible with existing MDS equipment.

The new Monitoring and Diagnostic System had to provide increased capabilities while remaining compatible with the existing units and limiting the amount of equipment replacement to save costs. The new solution also had to work for both refurbished two-car trains and newly formed four-car trains.

Originally, there was one Health Monitor Unit in the equipment locker of each car in a two-car train. This diagnostic data was not visible to the train operator from the driver console, and data was displayed only for the local car. While still extremely reliable, the display text on the existing units was difficult to read and the small screen held only a few lines of data.

With the new MDS, data from the entire train is accessed from the Touchscreen Display installed in one of the driver consoles in a two-car train. This is achieved by replacing the Health Monitor Unit in every second car with a new Vehicle Monitor Unit (VMU), Ethernet Switch, and Touchscreen Display. The remaining HMUs received software upgrades to enable communication with new VMUs via the existing LonWorks network. The VMUs route their data and information from the upgraded HMUs to the Touchscreen Display via a new Ethernet network. The software upgrade to the original HMUs extended their service life (units installed on the train and spares), allowing Rapid Rail Kuala Lumpur to reduce their total cost of ownership.

The new TDs provide centralized data access through an intuitive user interface, with color-coded indicators of train-level operational status for train operators and fast, easy access to end-to-end MDS data for maintenance personnel. This translates into reduced downtime and enhanced fleet readiness.

The Touchscreen Display has a 10.4-inch projected capacitive touchscreen that can be operated with a gloved hand. Integrated backlighting and anti-glare/anti-reflective coating ensure excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. VMUs and TDs automatically detect car type on start-up and can be installed easily in any car without additional configuration.

PROUDLY SUPPLYING

Quester Tangent is a leading North American manufacturer, supplier, and integrator of train electronics and software solutions for the passenger rail and locomotive industries, with more than 20 years of industry experience and thousands of units in revenue service. The company is ISO9001:2015 certified.